Daniel Biemesderfer,President, joined the Board of Trustees in 1996 and has served as President since 2000. Dan has also held the position of Secretary, chaired the Committee on Trustees and served as co-chair for the Search Committee that recruited Cold Spring’s current Director, Jeff Jonathan. He is a biomedical researcher and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine. Dan and his wife, Gretchen are the parents of two graduates, Alex and Zachary, and grandparents of two current students, Sophia and Olivia. A first for Cold Spring! Dan believes the way young children are taught is fundamental to their futures and supports this belief through his work as a Trustee.
David Thompson, VicePresident, a trustee since 1997, is currently Vice-President of the Board. He is an architect and Principal of David Thompson Architects in New Haven, a design firm focusing on educational, religious, and residential work. David has served on various building and planning committees since 1996. He and his wife have lived and worked in New Haven for more than 25 years, where they have been involved in numerous community activities. The exposure to opportunities for community involvement was important to them and factored into their choice of Cold Spring for their daughters, Micha and Nora, who graduated in 2003 and 2005.
Lisa Marcus,Secretary, joined the Board of Trustees in 1993. She has chaired the Admissions Committee and is currently serving as Secretary of the Board’s Executive Committee. Lisa has two daughters, Sara and Katie, who graduated from Cold Spring in 2000 and 2003 and are currently attending college and high school. Lisa is a clinical psychologist in private practice in New Haven where she lives with her husband. Lisa says she chose Cold Spring as much for herself as for her daughters because “it is a place where individuals are truly supported to become the best versions of themselves; a mission I feel committed to support.”
Michael Deakin, Treasurer, joined the Board in 2007. He is an attorney and partner in the law firm Loughlin Fitzgerald, P.C. and an adjunct professor at Western Connecticut State University. Michael’s practice focuses on civil litigation in such areas as civil rights, product liability and insurance law. Michael and his wife, Jennifer, remember “a visit to Cold Spring School where we attended a Wednesday morning school meeting and were overwhelmed by the sense of community. To see students, parents and staff so engaged was impressive and inspiring. We knew at that point Cold Spring School was the place for our family.” Their son, James, is currently a Cold Spring School student.
J Bunton joined the Board of Trustees in 2004 and serves on the Building Committee and the Capital Planning Committee. J is an architect who worked with Cesar Pelli & Associates for 15 years before opening his own firm, Studio ABK, in 2004. J and his wife Linda, a member of Admissions Committee, have twin sons, Will and Tyler, who attend Cold Spring. “We knew Cold Spring School was a perfect fit for our family the moment we visited the school and met the teachers,” J said. “It is exactly the kind of education I wish I had when I was a kid!”
Larry Cohen has been a member of the Cold Spring School Board of Trustees since 1996. He is a professor of Physiology at Yale University School of Medicine where he conducts research on how the brain recognizes odors. He is also a Member of RedShirtImaging, LLC, a small company that provides software and fast cameras to the scientific community. Larry, whose daughter Lily graduated in 2001, has positive memories for the spirit of cooperation he observed in the Cold Spring School classrooms and for the important role the School played in maintaining Lily’s interest in learning.
David Cross has been a CSS Trustee since 1996. In his twenties he taught elementary school in Philadelphia and designed musical instrument kits that he now sells to schools across the country. Since 1983 he has worked as a program evaluator and policy analyst. David is a parent of two college-age graduates who remember their Cold Spring years “fondly and thankfully.” David’s commitment to Cold Spring stems from a personal desire to “give back the gifts of support and acceptance I received as a child attending a wonderful camp on a small farm in the Berkshires; a place where I came alive again after death and depression took my parents away.
Neill Epperson, a trustee since 2002, is Chair of the Admissions Committee. She is a physician and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences and Director, Yale Program for Women’s Reproductive Behavioral Health at Yale University School of Medicine. Neill’s early learning experiences were focused on “getting an A” and led her to question and closely examine the learning environment she wanted for her daughters, Rachel, class of 2007, and Lily, class of 2009. At Cold Spring, she and her husband found a place where they would “develop a passion for learning while young enough to have the luxury of unlimited time, curiosity and energy.”
Lori Gregory joined the Board in 2007 and is an early childhood educator with over twenty years experience in teaching and administration. She is an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at Naugatuck Valley Community College and also supervises student teachers in their Early Childhood Education Program. Lori was drawn to Cold Spring’s pedagogy which promotes emotional as well as cognitive development in a diverse community. These qualities, she said, spoke to “her heart as a parent, her academic training as an educator and her beliefs as a person”. Lori and her husband, Harris Foster, have a daughter, Victoria, who is a Cold Spring student.
John Hilts became a trustee in 2007. He is a marine construction consultant who negotiates the permitting, zoning and licensing regulations that apply to pre-construction waterfront planning and design. John’s love for the water doesn’t end with making a living as he also begins most days on the water in his rowing shell. John has been an Annual Fund volunteer for two years, and his wife, Deborah, is a member of the Admissions Committee. They chose Cold Spring for their daughter, Annalise, because they believe childhood should be purposefully experienced in a learning environment where exploration is encouraged.
Jocelyn Hurwitz joined the Board in 2003 and serves as Chair of the Personnel Committee. She is an attorney and shareholder in Cohen and Wolf, PC in Bridgeport. Jocelyn has two sons, Max and Adam, who attend Cold Spring School. This thought from Jocelyn speaks volumes about the essence of the Cold Spring experience: “Each time I talk to my children about their daily lessons and what goes on at school, I feel confident that they are learning to think in a way that will prepare them well for any kind of academic or life challenges their futures may bring.”
Terri Stern served on the Board from 1995 to 1998 when her children were Cold Spring School students. When the nest emptied and her children, Ben and Jessie Karsif, began attending college, she returned to the Board in 2006. Terri has been involved with education as a museum docent and religious school educator for years. Since 2000 she has worked with the Peabody Fellow Program as a museum educator. Terri’s attraction to Cold Spring was born out of a desire for an educational environment that mirrored the values practiced at home and treated children with love and respect. “At Cold Spring, I found all that and more,” says Terri.
Ellen Wormser has been a Trustee since 1997 and serves on the Admissions Committee. “On admission tour days,” says Ellen, “you’ll find me greeting prospective families as part of the Admissions Committee and sharing my enthusiasm for our ‘hidden gem’ of a school. When not at CSS, Ellen is a midwife at a neighborhood midwifery practice, the Fair Haven Community Health Center, where she has been catching Fair Haven babies since 1986. Ellen is a parent of three college- and high school-aged alumni/ae: Ben, who graduated in 1999, and twins Kate and Emma, who graduated in 2003.
Tim Yolen joined the Board in 2007. He has practiced law for more than twenty-five years and is a partner in the New Haven law firm Yolen and Perzin specializing in planning, zoning and real estate law. Tim and his wife, Susan, chose Cold Spring 21 years ago for their children, Greg and Maggie. Cold Spring fit the Yolens' criteria for an educational environment where learning, discovering and understanding take place in the context of exploration and applied knowledge. Greg graduated from Yale University in 2004 and is Assistant to the Vice President of Production at Universal Pictures in Los Angeles. Maggie is pursuing a major in Peace and Conflict studies at Colgate University.
Shoshana Zax has served on the Board since 2000 and is Chair of the Committee on Trustees. She is a nurse-midwife who has practiced in New Haven since 1985. Shoshana and her husband, John, the parents of two graduates, chose Cold Spring for its nurturing, process-oriented approach to education, recognition of individual differences and emphasis on community. Although both her children have graduated, Shoshana continues to serve on the Cold Spring Board because of her strong belief in supporting a school where grades, testing and competition are deemphasized and thinking skills and enthusiasm for learning are nurtured.
Daniel Biemesderfer, President, joined the Board of Trustees in 1996 and has served as President since 2000. Dan has also held the position of Secretary, chaired the Committee on Trustees and served as co-chair for the Search Committee that recruited Cold Spring’s current Director, Jeff Jonathan. He is a biomedical researcher and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine. Dan and his wife, Gretchen are the parents of two graduates, Alex and Zachary, and grandparents of two current students, Sophia and Olivia. A first for Cold Spring! Dan believes the way young children are taught is fundamental to their futures and supports this belief through his work as a Trustee.
David Thompson, Vice President, a trustee since 1997, is currently Vice-President of the Board. He is an architect and Principal of David Thompson Architects in New Haven, a design firm focusing on educational, religious, and residential work. David has served on various building and planning committees since 1996. He and his wife have lived and worked in New Haven for more than 25 years, where they have been involved in numerous community activities. The exposure to opportunities for community involvement was important to them and factored into their choice of Cold Spring for their daughters, Micha and Nora, who graduated in 2003 and 2005.
Lisa Marcus, Secretary, joined the Board of Trustees in 1993. She has chaired the Admissions Committee and is currently serving as Secretary of the Board’s Executive Committee. Lisa has two daughters, Sara and Katie, who graduated from Cold Spring in 2000 and 2003 and are currently attending college and high school. Lisa is a clinical psychologist in private practice in New Haven where she lives with her husband. Lisa says she chose Cold Spring as much for herself as for her daughters because “it is a place where individuals are truly supported to become the best versions of themselves; a mission I feel committed to support.”
Michael Deakin, Treasurer, joined the Board in 2007. He is an attorney and partner in the law firm Loughlin Fitzgerald, P.C. and an adjunct professor at Western Connecticut State University. Michael’s practice focuses on civil litigation in such areas as civil rights, product liability and insurance law. Michael and his wife, Jennifer, remember “a visit to Cold Spring School where we attended a Wednesday morning school meeting and were overwhelmed by the sense of community. To see students, parents and staff so engaged was impressive and inspiring. We knew at that point Cold Spring School was the place for our family.” Their son, James, is currently a Cold Spring School student.
J Bunton joined the Board of Trustees in 2004 and serves on the Building Committee and the Capital Planning Committee. J is an architect who worked with Cesar Pelli & Associates for 15 years before opening his own firm, Studio ABK, in 2004. J and his wife Linda, a member of Admissions Committee, have twin sons, Will and Tyler, who attend Cold Spring. “We knew Cold Spring School was a perfect fit for our family the moment we visited the school and met the teachers,” J said. “It is exactly the kind of education I wish I had when I was a kid!”
Larry Cohen has been a member of the Cold Spring School Board of Trustees since 1996. He is a professor of Physiology at Yale University School of Medicine where he conducts research on how the brain recognizes odors. He is also a Member of RedShirtImaging, LLC, a small company that provides software and fast cameras to the scientific community. Larry, whose daughter Lily graduated in 2001, has positive memories for the spirit of cooperation he observed in the Cold Spring School classrooms and for the important role the School played in maintaining Lily’s interest in learning.
David Cross has been a CSS Trustee since 1996. In his twenties he taught elementary school in Philadelphia and designed musical instrument kits that he now sells to schools across the country. Since 1983 he has worked as a program evaluator and policy analyst. David is a parent of two college-age graduates who remember their Cold Spring years “fondly and thankfully.” David’s commitment to Cold Spring stems from a personal desire to “give back the gifts of support and acceptance I received as a child attending a wonderful camp on a small farm in the Berkshires; a place where I came alive again after death and depression took my parents away.
Neill Epperson, a trustee since 2002, is Chair of the Admissions Committee. She is a physician and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences and Director, Yale Program for Women’s Reproductive Behavioral Health at Yale University School of Medicine. Neill’s early learning experiences were focused on “getting an A” and led her to question and closely examine the learning environment she wanted for her daughters, Rachel, class of 2007, and Lily, class of 2009. At Cold Spring, she and her husband found a place where they would “develop a passion for learning while young enough to have the luxury of unlimited time, curiosity and energy.”
Lori Gregory joined the Board in 2007 and is an early childhood educator with over twenty years experience in teaching and administration. She is an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at Naugatuck Valley Community College and also supervises student teachers in their Early Childhood Education Program. Lori was drawn to Cold Spring’s pedagogy which promotes emotional as well as cognitive development in a diverse community. These qualities, she said, spoke to “her heart as a parent, her academic training as an educator and her beliefs as a person”. Lori and her husband, Harris Foster, have a daughter, Victoria, who is a Cold Spring student.
John Hilts became a trustee in 2007. He is a marine construction consultant who negotiates the permitting, zoning and licensing regulations that apply to pre-construction waterfront planning and design. John’s love for the water doesn’t end with making a living as he also begins most days on the water in his rowing shell. John has been an Annual Fund volunteer for two years, and his wife, Deborah, is a member of the Admissions Committee. They chose Cold Spring for their daughter, Annalise, because they believe childhood should be purposefully experienced in a learning environment where exploration is encouraged.
Jocelyn Hurwitz joined the Board in 2003 and serves as Chair of the Personnel Committee. She is an attorney and shareholder in Cohen and Wolf, PC in Bridgeport. Jocelyn has two sons, Max and Adam, who attend Cold Spring School. This thought from Jocelyn speaks volumes about the essence of the Cold Spring experience: “Each time I talk to my children about their daily lessons and what goes on at school, I feel confident that they are learning to think in a way that will prepare them well for any kind of academic or life challenges their futures may bring.”
Terri Stern served on the Board from 1995 to 1998 when her children were Cold Spring School students. When the nest emptied and her children, Ben and Jessie Karsif, began attending college, she returned to the Board in 2006. Terri has been involved with education as a museum docent and religious school educator for years. Since 2000 she has worked with the Peabody Fellow Program as a museum educator. Terri’s attraction to Cold Spring was born out of a desire for an educational environment that mirrored the values practiced at home and treated children with love and respect. “At Cold Spring, I found all that and more,” says Terri.
Ellen Wormser has been a Trustee since 1997 and serves on the Admissions Committee. “On admission tour days,” says Ellen, “you’ll find me greeting prospective families as part of the Admissions Committee and sharing my enthusiasm for our ‘hidden gem’ of a school. When not at CSS, Ellen is a midwife at a neighborhood midwifery practice, the Fair Haven Community Health Center, where she has been catching Fair Haven babies since 1986. Ellen is a parent of three college- and high school-aged alumni/ae: Ben, who graduated in 1999, and twins Kate and Emma, who graduated in 2003.
Tim Yolen joined the Board in 2007. He has practiced law for more than twenty-five years and is a partner in the New Haven law firm Yolen and Perzin specializing in planning, zoning and real estate law. Tim and his wife, Susan, chose Cold Spring 21 years ago for their children, Greg and Maggie. Cold Spring fit the Yolens' criteria for an educational environment where learning, discovering and understanding take place in the context of exploration and applied knowledge. Greg graduated from Yale University in 2004 and is Assistant to the Vice President of Production at Universal Pictures in Los Angeles. Maggie is pursuing a major in Peace and Conflict studies at Colgate University.
Shoshana Zax has served on the Board since 2000 and is Chair of the Committee on Trustees. She is a nurse-midwife who has practiced in New Haven since 1985. Shoshana and her husband, John, the parents of two graduates, chose Cold Spring for its nurturing, process-oriented approach to education, recognition of individual differences and emphasis on community. Although both her children have graduated, Shoshana continues to serve on the Cold Spring Board because of her strong belief in supporting a school where grades, testing and competition are deemphasized and thinking skills and enthusiasm for learning are nurtured.